The Apocalypse Returns in First Pacific Rim: Uprising Trailer

October 6, 2017

I thought I was saving my goosebumps for the new Star Wars trailer on Monday. I thought wrong. The first Pacific Rim: Uprising trailer is here, and the Kaijus didn’t get the apocalypse cancellation memo.

Man, the first one was such a great guilty pleasure movie. The music was fantastic, and the action sequences even better.

Ramin Djawdi might be best known for his soundtrack work on Game of Thrones, but his Pacific Rim theme is a modern classic.

How can you not get pumped hearing that? The trailer opens up with a riff on the original theme.

But those expecting more magic from Ramin are going to be disappointed. John Paesano (Daredevil) will provide the score for the sequel. Good luck John, you’ve got your work cut out for you to even approach what Ramin did with the main theme.

The composer isn’t the only change. Anyone following Pacific Rim: Uprising closely knows Guillermo del Toro isn’t returning as director. Instead, Steven S. DeKnight will bring his vision to the Kaiju/Jaeger beat’em up. Netflix fans will recognize DeKnight’s work in Daredevil. But he also handled the epic Spartacus series on STARZ.

The trailer looks incredible, but so do most. I’m just crossing my fingers hoping for a solid follow-up. Focus on what made the original a fun movie. Don’t just add absurdly big monsters. That’s what Independence Day: Resurgence did and look how that turned out.

Still, it’s hard not to geek out with that final shot of a massive Kaiju towering above four Jaegers.

Here’s the official synopsis from Legendary:

John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.

Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.